Iron & Coppersulfate

Introduction: Making observations are very important in chemistry. It should be done carefully and precisely to ensure no mistakes. This experiment was all about observing. In this experiment, a set of chemicals were used to set up an experiment. The experiment was observed for three days. The chemicals used were copper sulfate (blue crystals), sodium chloride (salt), and iron. Copper sulfate is a chemical compound which is produced commercially by reacting various copper (II) compounds with sulfuric acid [1]. It generally appears as a bright blue or green crystal [1]. Its chemical formula is CuSo4. Iron is silver-white magnetic metallic and readily rusts in moist air [3]. Its chemical formula is Fe. The chemical reaction was demonstrated by the iron reacting to the copper sulfate. Copper Sulfate Crystals [4] Materials & Methods: Materials: 2 small circles of filter paper, 1 iron nail, 5 grams of copper (II) sulfate, 10 grams of sodium chloride (salt), and 1 small piece of plastic wrap Method: Briefly, 5 grams of copper (II) sulfate was placed in a test tube. Filter paper was placed on top of that, 10 grams of salt were then added, and then more filter paper was added. An iron nail was placed faced down on top of that last filter paper and then the test tube was filled with enough water to cover up the nail. Last, the test tube was observed for the next three days. Results: Time| Observation| Day 0| * The tip of the nail had turned pinkish-red * The bottom of the tube, which was clear and blue from the copper sulfate was now bright green| Day 1| * The entire nail was now pinkish-red * Some copper had shed off of the nail and was resting on top of the salt * The water turned yellow * The tube is now dark-almost black green at the bottom * There was less copper sulfate| Day 2| * The entire nail was pink * The water was still yellow * A lot of copper has shed from the nail * The copper sulfate has dissolved (it is only about 1 gram left)| The above can be summarized by this chemical reaction: Fe(s) + CuSo4(aq) Cu(s) + FeSo4(aq) iron copper (II) copper iron (II) sulfate sulfate Discussion: The purpose of this experiment was to show how iron reacts to copper sulfate. It seems like iron got jealous of copper sulfate’s chemistry so iron stole sulfate from copper. That’s how iron sulfate came to be and that is also why copper is now alone. The purpose of the salt was to slow the reaction down. The purpose of the water was to dissolve the copper sulfate. The purpose of the filter papers were to separate the chemicals. The evidence of the change that was observed was that there was no more copper sulfate but there was now iron sulfate. Bibliography: 1. http://www. wisegeek. com/what-is-copper-sulfate. htm 2. http://www. finishing. com/4000-4199/4134. shtml 3. http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/iron 4. paulslab. compaulslab. com http://www. paulslab. com/crystals/copper-sulfate. html